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Beer is the national beverage of Germany but that’s due to the
fact that grain is better adapted to the cold northern climate than
Chardonnay or Cabernet.

Germans have been growing grapes since 1435. Today, they make up
3 percent of the world’s wines.

But how much of that 3 percent is produced is greatly dependent
on Mother Nature. That’s because Germany is the world’s northern
most wine growing region.

A good 80 percent of the Qualitatwein, is grown on hillsides
above the Rhine River. Since most of the 55,000 acres of vineyards
are on south-facing hillsides, handpicking is the only way to
harvest as machinery on mountain sides is out of the question.

So if you are determined to grow grapes in a cold climate, you
better plant grape varieties that don’t mind it so much. Let
me introduce you to the great cold hardy Riesling, Muller-Thurgau
and Silvaner varieties. All white grapes, all well suited to
making a wide range of wine styles.

In Germany, there are more than 1,400 wine villages and 3,200
vineyards. In an effort to codify their wines, the German
government passed a law – The German Wine Law of 1971.

The new law stated that a vineyard must be at least 12 acres of
land. It also divided German wines into two categories, Tafelwien
(table wine) and Qualitatwein (quality wine). It regulated must
weight and minimum alcohol levels. Another rule, if Riesling
is on the label, at least 85% if not more, will be in the
bottle. And if it shows a vintage on the label, at least 85%
of that vintage must be in the bottle.

There are thirteen winemaking regions in Germany, most hugging
the shores of the Rhine River and its tributaries. Most of the
regions are named for the river that runs through it, like the
Rhine, Mosel, Saar, Ruwer, and Nahe. Other region names found in
the U.S. will be from the Rheinhessen, Rheingau, or Pfalz.

German wine labels reveal all. From grape variety to ripeness
levels, style and quality levels, alcohol and testing batch number,
it’s all right recorded on the label in great detail.

First, on a German wine label will be the producer, Dr. Loosen,
for instance; the region, Mosel; the
vintage, 2006; the town and the vineyard, for example, Wehlener
Sonnenuhr.

The er on the end of the town of Wehlen is their way of saying
belonging to that town. On older labels, you would see 1989er,
meaning from that vintage. Sonnenuhr is the vineyard name.

Next would be the grape name, Riesling and the style,
Trockenbeerenauslese. The quality level of the wine, QmP and its
official testing number – proof that the wine was tasted and passed
the strict quality measures required. Alcohol and bottle size are
also stated on the label.

Ripeness levels mean how ripe the grapes are at harvest. This
also, by law, will determine the wine’s quality level and an early
indicator of style. There are six styles are Kabinett,
Spatlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese and
Eiswein.

Kabinett – These are typically lighter-bodied, medium-dry wines,
made from grapes harvested at the peak of the season. Usually the
driest of the Qualitatweins.

Spatlese – Translated means “late (spat) picked (lese)” or late
harvest, the extra time in the sun allows produces an elevated
ripeness level to a fuller bodied wine and increases the intensity
of both aroma and flavor.

Auslese – Literally means “out picked” designating ripe grapes
picked from a specific cluster of berries harvested later than the
first harvest. This medium to fuller-bodied Riesling can be crafted
into either a dry or a sweet version. This is the first style that
may exhibit true dessert wine status.

Beerenauslese (BA) – A rare treat, this Riesling is made into
the luxurious dessert wines that are sought out for their
compatibility with a myriad of dessert options. They are only made
when the vintage conditions are just right, adding to the cost and
taste.

Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) – Translated as “dry berry out
picking” and that adds up to outside the regular harvest, with
possible botrytis infected, raisined grapes, and concentrated
sugars. Each grape is picked individually, months after normal
harvest. These labor intensive, concentrated, nectar like dessert
wines can claim quite a price.

Eiswein – An even later harvest ice (eis) wines (wein), are left
on the vine until frozen, then picked and pressed while frozen,
resulting in an exquisite, highly concentrated experience even red
wine lovers will appreciate.

These styles refer to sugar levels at harvest, and after
fermentation, the wine could range from bone dry to super sweet.
But remember, this is a colder than usual climate, there is always
going to be that crisp, balancing acidity in all styles.

Other terms to know for determining the sweetness level of wine
are trocken which means dry and halbtrocken which is half-dry or
off-dry. If this is not on the label, chances are good that it will
be on the sweet side.

Keep in mind that sweeter Rieslings can be made in either
Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese or Beerenauslese (BA) and
Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) styles, it just depends on the balance
between the acidity, sugar, pH and alcohol.

Some wonderful German producers to look for are from the Mosel:
Fritz Haag, J.J. Prum, Dr. Loosen, Selbach Oster and Dr. Thanish.
From the Rheingau: Schloss Johannisberg, Shloss Vollrads and Robert
Weil.

A large portion of Washington State was once planted to the
Riesling grape. We still have a lot of Riesling planted but not as
much as 15 years ago. However, Chateau Ste. Michelle does have lots
more Riesling planted than anyone else in Washington State.
As a result, Dr. Loosen and Chateau Ste. Michelle partner to
produce the Eroica Riesling. This collaboration is a classic that
offers lots of citrus, lime and peaches and even a hint of petrol
that is frequently found in German Rieslings.

German Rieslings are incredibly versatile on the dinner table.
Many will age well for a dozen years or so, for top vintages. For
dinner, Rieslings are best enjoyed with Asian cuisine, Dungeness
crab, white fish, pasta with cream sauce, fresh fruit, creamy
cheeses and smoked fish with horseradish. Probst!

Get your lederhosen out, Oktoberfest , the annual beer festival
held in Munich since 1810 ends Sunday. It’s a multi-day festival
running from mid-September to the first weekend in October.

So, why Oktoberfest? Why not Septemberfest since it begins in
September not October?

The answer is a two week outdoor festival in October in a
northern climate means chilly nights under the tents in your
lederhosen while drinking a liter or two of Märzen. So, over time
the festival crept into typically warmer September, but kept the
name Oktoberfest.

The first Oktoberfest was a country fair, with a horse race as
the star attraction. It was also the celebration of Bavarian Crown
Prince Ludwig’s marriage to Princess Therese von
Saxe-Hildburghausen. The festivities, held on the fields in front
of the city gates celebrating the royal event with many beers,
wines, sausages, chickens, kraut and noodles, ended a week
later.

In the years following the first celebration, the event grew
beyond the initial week. Today, festival goers enjoy sitting in the
beer tents quaffing beer, visiting the food stalls and strolling
the gardens during Oktoberfest without feeling the damp chill of
mid-October.

This year’s events include the Parade of Oktoberfest Landlords
and Breweries, the Official Tapping of the Keg, Oktoberfest Mass,
Böllerschießen (cannon salute) and an agricultural fair.

The Lord Mayor of Munich has the honor of tapping the first keg
of Oktoberfest beer. Once the first barrel has been tapped, the
beer flows for the more than 6 million people attending the
event.

These festival goers will raise a stein or two during the
festival. As you can imagine, large quantities of beer are consumed
during the 16-day festival. In 2013, for instance, 7.7 million
liters served.

With that many people attending and that much beer consumption,
some personal belongings do get left behind. Each year, hundreds of
glasses (how do they see their way home?), phones, wallets,
jackets, and other unusual items, such as a set of dentures can be
claimed at a large lost and found tent.

Oktoberfest, the German celebration, has grown into an
international festival of beer, with festivities popping up all
around the globe.

Oktoberfest, the beer, is a lager (bottom fermenting yeast and
longer, cooler fermentation) that originated in Bavaria. It’s
medium to full bodied and varies from pale to amber to dark brown.
Traditionally, it was brewed in March just before the hot summer
months when temperatures interfered with the fermentation process.
And then lagered in the ice caves over the summer.

Märzen beer was also a little higher ABV than usual to help
preserve the beer through the summer months. Märzen is now known as
Oktoberfest.

A few suggestions for some very good German and U.S.
Oktoberfest/ Märzen beers you should try.

Ayinger Oktoberfest-Märzen has a deep golden color tinted with
amber. It is lightly sweet with a malty nose balanced with floral
hops. It’s medium bodied and the dryness comes from long
maturation.

Paulaner Oktoberfest-Märzen was developed to celebrate the
original Oktoberfest over 200 years ago. This is a full bodied beer
with rich malt flavor, dark toffee note and underlying
fruitiness.

Spaten Oktoberfest Ur Märzen was created in 1872, with aromas
flavors of biscuit, caramel malt, and hints of spicy, grassy noble
hops.

Weihenstephaner Oktoberfestbier is a full, rich-bodied, hoppy
lager brewed for the Festbier season. Deep gold color, malty with
great mouthfeel and lots of flavor.

Heater Allen Brewing’s Bobtoberfest caught my attention when
researching Oktoberfest beers. It’s named for the head brewer’s
late brother Bob; the person who sparked his interest in brewing
lager beers in general and Oktoberfest beers in particular.

Bob Allen was a friend, teacher at North Kitsap High School and
Olympic College, a member of the West Sound Brew Club and a great
brewer, cider maker and winemaker. The first Bobtoberfest was held
in Poulsbo. It was quite a celebration. Unfortunately, a trip to
Portland is necessary to taste this beer.

Samuel Adams OctoberFest has a deep golden amber hue and is a
malt lover’s dream.

Silver City Oktoberfest is an authentic interpretation of the
classic style. The rich malty sweetness and spicy hop character are
balanced by 6.2% ABV.

Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest is a collaboration with Mahrs Brau of
Bamberg, Germany. An authentic Oktoberfest beer that’s deep golden
in color with rich malt complexity and spicy hop character from
Record, Magnum, Palisade, Saphir and Crystal hops with 6% ABV.

And then there is Firestone Walker Oaktoberfest which
claims to be a true German Märzen bier, brewed with premium
imported Pilsner and Vienna malts. It’s spiced with Bavarian hops
and fermented with the famous Bavarian Augustiner Lager yeast from
Munich.

Cheese and wine or even beer for that matter have a natural
affinity for each other. Ideal pairings will have one or more of
the following combinations: they may have similar weight such as a
light bodied wine with a light bodied food, or a full bodied wine
with a heavier meal.

Or they could have contrasting flavors, like a sweet wine with a
salty cheese, a sweet sherry with salty Marcona almonds, or a
citrusy Pinot Grigio with a creamy seafood pasta.

One other sure fire way to pair food and wine is look to the
place of origin. For instance, chicken cordon bleu with Burgundy,
Chianti with antipasto, Porto with Stilton, or Sake with sushi.

Champagne or any other bubbly that is near at hand would pair
very nicely with most creamy cheeses. Brie, Camembert, Gruyere,
Havarti, Manchego and Parmesan all work in concert with these
creamy cheeses. These cow’s milk cheeses have a similar intensity
of flavor and the bubblies refresh and cleanse the palate for the
next bite of creamy wonderfulness.

A place of origin and similarity would be goat cheese, or
Chevre, as the French would call it, with a Sauvignon Blanc from
France. Goat cheese tends to be lower in fat, rich and tangy. It
pairs very well with higher acid wines. Sauvignon Blanc leans
towards herbaceousness and high acidity. Try a Sancerre, Touraine,
Pouilly Fume or a White Bordeaux, all made from Sauvignon
Blanc.

Chenin Blanc has both high acidity and lots of sugar. This
attributes can be a benefit if you were to age this wine. Chenin
Blanc has a range of styles from dry to dessert and a range of
flavors from crisp green apple to stone fruits and honey.

Vouvray is a medium bodied wine from the Loire Valley and it’s a
dream with a Swiss cow’s milk Gruyere, a nutty, slightly sweet and
creamy cheese. Gruyere makes a great fondue. The creamy texture
pairs well with this medium bodied wine.

Grenache is a red grape grown in the Rhone region of Franc e and
all over Spain. It’s very fruity with blackberry sweetness and
hints of black pepper. It’s the key grape in Chateauneuf du Pape.
The bold flavors of this wine dance smoothly with smoked
cheeses.

Zinfandel is another red grape with dark fruit flavors and
spice. Zinfandel needs its pairing to be rich and/or big enough to
balance its intense flavor profile. It needs a firm sharp cheddar
with similar intensity of flavor. Try it with grilled cheddar
cheese stuffed jalapenos which match the fruit and spiciness of the
wine.

And now to the classic pairing of sweet Porto and salty, tangy
blue cheese. Porto, the Portuguese fortified sweet wine is very,
very good with blue, Gorgonzola, Roquefort and especially Stilton.
This is a contrast that is sublime, the ultimate pairing of sweet
and savory. Most blues are aged about sixty days which gives it
time to develop its flavors.

Pairing wines with cheese is fun and educational! Remember to
serve cheeses at room temperature.

Serve reds and dessert wine between 55 and 65 degrees; whites
between 48 and 53 degrees and sparkling wines between 40 and 45
degrees. Proper serving temperatures insure the wines will show
well and enhance your pairings. Fill the glass half-full to allow
you to pick up all the heavenly aromas.

In its native home of Burgundy, France, some of the highest
priced and long lived Chardonnays come from some of the world’s
tiniest vineyards.

In the time before new world wines were recognized
internationally, Chardonnay ruled white wines on the continent. The
French were regarded with admiration for their beautiful and
long-lived white Burgundies.

And then, in 1976, came the Judgment in Paris which resulted in
international recognition of New World wines. The explosion of
Chardonnay in the New World had begun. The California wine industry
in 1976 still had the blush of youth.

The Judgment was a Game of Thrones kind of change. This blind
tasting, in Paris, with predominantly French judges, was organized
by an Englishman. Each judge could award up to twenty points to
each of the twenty wines served.

The level playing ground of a blind tasting focuses on aromas,
color, taste and finish. No pedigree or pretty labels to distract.
Price is no concern. Just aroma, flavors and finish.

Well, in a field of ten, Chateau Montelena 1973 Napa Chard beat
the pants off the French Burgundies. Roulot 1973 Meursault Charmes
did come in second ahead of Chalone Vineyards and Spring
Mountain.

As a result, the growth of Chardonnay vineyards in Australia,
California and Washington increased royally. The boom of the 1980s
was responsible for making Chardonnay available to the common
folk.

In the 1980s, Chardonnay was the height of fashion and so widely
planted in a wide range of climates that a glut seemed possible. It
was so easy to produce a high yielding crop that it quickly became
the cash crop. Chardonnay can go from grape to glass in less than a
year.

Winemakers love Chardonnay for its reliability and flexibility.
It responds well to a wide range of winemaking techniques. It could
be fermented in stainless or barrel, it does well with malolactic
fermentation, aging sur lies and in oak barrels.

When ripe there are ample fruit sugars and because of the
abundance of fruit sugars, higher alcohol content regularly occurs.
It’s the one white grape that can be successfully matured in new
oak barrels because the wine has the fruit to balance the new
oak.

When the vineyard site is premier, yields are not too high and
not too low, acidity is perfect, and the winemaking team makes all
the right calls, Chardonnay can produce wines that could age very
gracefully for a decade.

And these are the reasons why is there such a dramatic
difference between a $3 bottle of Chardonnay and a $75 bottle of
Chardonnay.

Various factors such as vineyard age, management and placement,
yield per acre, labor for the various winemaking techniques that
may be used, and the price of oak barrels.

A $3 bottle will most definitely come from high yielding
vineyards, fermented in large stainless steel tanks and if oak is
used, it’ll be chips or cubes. Much more affordable than a $800
barrel.

On the other side of the spectrum, a small, old vineyard with
moderate yields, could be barrel fermented, aged sur lie,
inoculated for malolactic fermentation and then aged in new
Limousin oak barrels. Each process adds complexity to the finished
wine. All this for only $75.

Depending on your needs and desires, there are still so many
Chardonnays in this world to grace your table, patio and blind
tasting. Here are a few worth considering:

From Washington:

Rolling Bay 2014 Reserve Chardonnay from the old Upland vineyard
is complex, and balanced with lemon, butterscotch and minerality.
Toodle on up to Bainbridge for a taste of this elegant wine.

Woodward Canyon Walla Walla Reserve Chard is another wine from
old vineyards that shows beautiful fruit aromas and complexity of
flavors that finish lavishly.

Owen Roe’s DuBrul Vineyard Chardonnay has both intense fruit and
balancing acidity. This is achieved by blending lower elevation
grapes with the tropical and citrus characteristics with the higher
elevation grapes that have more intense acidity. The final blend
saw 35% new French oak and 40% malolactic fermentation for rich,
complex flavors.

Terra Bianca’s Arch Terrace 2015 Chardonnay is a great example
of one of the many Dijon clones, the preferred French.

75% of the wine is fermented in stainless steel and the
remainder is barrel fermented in neutral oak and spends 6 months
sur lie. The wine exhibits red apple and tropical fruit
flavors.

In California, this noble grape is the most widely planted. In
2014, the state crushed 718,000 tons and shipped 54 million
cases.

Mendocino, Russian River, Santa Barbara and Santa Maria are some
of the best California has to offer in terms of quality. Many of
these areas are planted to the Wente clone.

The Wente clone is budwood used to plant Chardonnay at many
vineyards. In 1912, Ernest Wente took cuttings from the France’s
University of Montpellier nursery and planted them in Arroyo
Seco.

Cuttings from the Wente vineyard then spread to a number of
other wineries before eventually being certified by UC Davis. These
certified vines are known as “Wente” and “Old Wente” if they are
from vines before certification.

The reign of big, buttery Chardonnays persisted through the
1990s and early 2000s when the ABC movement got started. Anything
But Chardonnay was hoping to quash the grape but only succeeded in
changing the flavor profile.

One remarkable winery to put on your bucket list is Hanzell.
They “work with a conservative hand in the use of French oak
barrels and malolactic fermentation.” Their Chardonnays have
richness with complexity and balance. And it ages very well.

Stony Hill on Spring Mountain is another. The 2013 Chardonnay
has green apple, a graceful hint of citrus

Ferrari Camano is more readily available as is Kendall Jackson’s
Camelot. Chateau St. Jeans has a bevy of vineyard designated
Chardonnays and Mount Eden Old Vine Reserve is a favorite.

Pahlmeyer from Atlas Peak has aromas of honeysuckle and lemon
oil and flavors of nectarine and pear. The wine is rich and
balanced.

And the Judgment in Paris winner? Montelena’s 2013 Napa Valley
Chardonnay has aromas of roses, lemon blossoms, and melon. Flavors
of lemon meringue, peaches, and vibrant acidity would pair well
with cream sauces on fish or chicken dishes. All this for $50.00
which is nothing compared to the second place winner whose wine is
selling for upwards of $350.

Taste Washington is the largest wine tasting I’ve ever attended
except one. That tasting happened in San Francisco over 30 years
ago. It was held in a huge lavish hotel ballroom where wines from
every major wine growing region at the time filled hundreds of
tables. The amount of glassware used at the event is mind
boggling.

With under 60 wineries, Washington was a speck on the world’s
wine map at that time. But, my oh my, how things have changed!
Today, there are over 890 wineries in this dynamic fruit growing
region. On average, a new winery opens every 30 days, making the
number of wineries in Washington second behind California.

The first recorded winery operating in Washington was founded by
an immigrant from Baden, Germany, in 1874 in East Wenatchee. When
John Galler first moved to Washington, he made a living trapping
with the Indians before settling down to farm and ferment. He had
an orchard and planted 20 acres of grapes, producing wines for some
36 years before retiring.

In the 1900s, the wine industry was based on native American
grapes such as the concord which took to the climate of Eastern
Washington quite well. Grandview Winery and the National Wine
Company or Nawico for short, were the largest along with Seattle’s
Pommerelle and Upland winery out of Sunnyside.

There were also wineries popping up in Selah, Vancouver, Vaughn,
Wenatchee, Bellevue, Lake Stevens, Edmonds, and Dockton to name a
few. Even little Grapeview had one, Stretch Island Winery,
operating from 1935 until 1947.

Except for the three larger wineries, most of the smaller
community wineries made wine with whatever fruit they could get
their hands on. Apples, cherries, pears, blackberries,
gooseberries, loganberries and currants were abundant. One
adventurous vintner even made a melon wine.

Grape varieties used were the American Island Belle, Campbell
Early, and Concord. And Muscat, Alicante Bouchet and
Zinfandel vines were brought by immigrants. These wines were
very much like the wine coolers of the early 1980s. Sweet, fruity
and with not even a hint of complexity.

Dedicated to the lifelong work
of Washington’s pioneering viticultural researcher who shaped the
Washington wine industry and is recognized as the Father of
Washington Wine.

The change from Concord to Cabernet was gradual. It started in
1937 at the Irrigated Agricultural Research and Extension Center.
They hired Dr. Walter Clore. His job was to evaluate the apple
irrigation project and other fruits, including grapes, raspberries,
strawberries and blackberries.

A trial block of about 30 grape varieties was planted with both
American and European varieties. This grew over the next six years
to 45 American, 71 European and a dozen hybrid varieties. By 1974,
over 300 varieties had been established at the research center.

Today, over 350 wine grape growers have over 40 varietals
planted on some 50,000 acres all across Washington State. The
latest record harvest year was 2014 with 227,000 tons of vinifera
grapes harvested. And those 890 wineries produced 16 million cases
of wine from all those grapes.

In 2015, Washington’s wine grape harvest totaled 222,000 tons,
down 2 percent from the record harvest of 2014. Many grape growers
attributed the decrease to unusually warm weather, which resulted
in a much smaller berry size. The upside of this is more
concentrated aromas and flavors.

There are thirteen American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), as
recognized and defined by the United States Treasury Department;
Alcohol & Tobacco Taxes & Trade Bureau in Washington
State.

The first to be recognized was Yakima Valley in 1983. In 1984,
Columbia Valley and Walla Walla Valley joined the Club. Eleven
years later, Puget Sound joined the ranks.

The turn of the century brought Red Mountain into the fold,
followed by Columbia Gorge (2004), Horse Heaven Hills (2005),
Rattlesnake Hills and Wahluke Slope in 2006 and Snipes Mountain in
2009. Naches Heights and Ancient Lakes were added in 2011 and 2012
respectively.

Washington’s average sixteen hours per day of summer sunlight
and alluvial soils produce some of the best growing conditions for
vinifera grapes. Cabernet Sauvignon was the top producing red
variety at 47,400 tons. Riesling was ranked second, at 44,100 tons.
The latest economic impact numbers for the wine industry is $4.8
billion in 2013.

No wonder Taste Washington is the largest single region wine
event today. There are so many wines from so many varieties to
choose from. There are still tickets available for Sunday’s Grand
Tasting. This is a great opportunity to learn more about
Washington’s wineries and what delicious bites pair well with them.
For more information, TasteWashington.org

Another great tasting event is coming up. Yakima has their
Spring Barrel Tasting right around the corner. This is an
opportunity to delve into some of the wineries and vineyards in
Washington’s oldest AVA on April 23rd and 24th. Tasting
from the barrel is a unique experience. Many wineries have local
food pairings, live music and festivities. More learning
opportunities! More fun!

And right here on the Kitsap Peninsula, Bainbridge Island
wineries have scheduled a special event for April 23 and 24. You’ll
taste locally made cheeses with locally made wine. More info at
www.bainbridgewineries.com

If you haven’t made the move, now is the time. Purchase
your tickets to the premier Washington Grand Wine Tasting on
April 2 -3, 2016. There are over two hundred Washington wineries
pouring samples and 70 restaurants servings up tasty bites this
weekend. In addition, there are educational seminars and the Alaska
Chef’s Stage where you can see real live chef’s whipping up tasty
dishes.

March is Washington Wine Month with celebrations and events you
won’t want to miss.

On Bainbridge Island, it’s raining gold and silver at
Eleven Winery! The judges at Savor NW have chosen
the 2013 Syrah and 2013 Roussanne as
Gold Medal Winners. The 2013 Viognier and the 2012 La Ronde
were awarded Silver Medals. Available online, in the tasting
room or at the winery with the exception of the sold out
2013 Syrah.

The biggest event of them all is Taste
Washington. At Taste Washington, you
can sample wines from over 225 Washington wineries, delicious bites
from 65 local restaurants, wines from featured Washington AVAs and
seminars to learn the nitty gritty about Washington Wines!

The series of educational seminars is truly enlightening. On
Saturday, Washington vs the World, will compare Washington
Rhone-style wines to Rhone-style wines from around the world. King
Cab will explore this Bordeaux grape from various AVAs across the
state. Tasting Washington is a discussion and tasting on the
Washington-ness in Washington wine.

On Sunday, Through the Grapevine: Lessons learned from a
lifetime in Washington wine will feature some of the state’s finest
growers and winemakers. Riesling on the Rise and A Sense of Place
explores the grape and the winemaker and the vineyard influences on
wines. Tickets for the seminars are offered separately from the
other events.

After the seminars, The Grand Tasting takes place at CenturyLink
Event Center on Saturday, April 2nd and Sunday, April 3rd.
You’ll taste and learn about the the latest and greatest and the
tried and true of Washington State wine varietals, AVAs and
culinary bites.

During the Grand Tasting, Alaska Chef Stage will host
various live chef demonstrations from an all-star culinary line-up.
In a state-of-the-art kitchen, these talented chefs will be
demonstrating their cooking skills and offering up culinary
tips.

Hear Ryan Burnett, the Chef at the award-winning Coyaba
Restaurant at the Muckleshoot Casino. Chef Jason Stratton,
Executive Chef of Capitol Hill’s Mamnoon Restaurant, named one of
Food & Wine magazine’s 10 Best New Chefs in 2010, and a James
Beard semifinalist.

Chef Sarah Scott of El Gaucho Bellevue prepares signature
dishes and Chef Aarti Sequeria, Host of Aarti Party will be on
hand. Sequeria competed on and won Season 6 of The Next Food
Network Star in 2010. Born in India and brought up in the Middle
East, Sequeria brings her varied culinary background to the Taste
Washington stage.

More about the wine lineup later but to put a few new ones out
there to think about – Port Townsend’s Lullaby
Winery , Ambassador Wines out of Red
Mountain, MonteScarlatto also on Red Mountain,
Walla Walla’s Cadaretta and
Lodmell Wineries, Woodinville’s Genoa
Cellars, Pomum Cellars and Pearl and Stone
Wine Co. Meanwhile, for a complete listing
and ticket information, visit tastewashington.org

Tickets are on sale now so don’t delay. Join the fun today!
Taste Washington – March 31 – April 3, 2016.

Next up is the Spring Barrel
Tasting on April 22 through April 24th. Spring
Barrel Tasting weekend is your chance to taste wines from some of
the oldest vineyards in the state. This weekend you’ll sample
yet-unfinished wines from the barrel.

Purchase a Premier Pass which will
gain you access to added benefits during this Spring Barrel
Tasting weekend at 40 participating wineries. Premier Pass
holders will be able to experience a variety of specialty food
pairings, library tastings, and tours. Online Premier Pass sales
end April 19. The wineries ask that you bring your own glass
this weekend.yakimavalleyuncorked.com

Belgium is very unique in many ways. This culturally diverse
country has three languages, 150 breweries making thousands of
unusual beers and an especially excellent way with fries.

Just as Wisconsin has its cheese heads, Belgians have potato
heads. Indeed, Belgium’s annual per capita frites consumption far
surpasses America’s French fry consumption. There are frites stands
galore on the streets of Bruges. They are so dedicated to the dish;
they even have created a frites museum.

The secret of Belgian’s world’s best fries is like its beers, a
special recipe. The trick is to fry the potatoes twice each time at
a different temperature and serve with the usual condiment
–flavored mayonnaise.

And of course, you’ll want to wash the potatoes down with a
tasty beer. Which Belgium has – in spades. The beers from this
culturally rich country are diverse and distinctive. Tripels,
Dubbels, Quadrupel, Saisons, Wits, Faro, Oud Bruin, Flemish Red,
Gueuze, Pale, Strong Dark, Strong Pale and Lambics are the many
styles of beer made.

There is also a huge range of Belgian beer glasses for each
style of beer. Chalices, goblets, tulips, flutes and snifters are
preferred because their shape impacts head development and
retention.

Head is the foam created when you pour your beer into a proper
glass. It acts as a cap for all the lovely aromas, such as hop
oils, fruit, herbs, all kinds of fermentation by products like
alcohol, fusels and esters, spices or even wood.

The history of their beer making goes back centuries. Julius
Caesar, leading his thirsty Roman legions through the land, made
note that the natives produced a variety of beers.

In the Middle Ages, monasteries, as a matter of health, began
brewing the unusual brews. This liquid bread was usually a Dubbel
or Tripel with a few Wits here and there. The monks found that
drinking a brew was healthier than the local water.

The monastic brewing tradition continues to this day. Although
to make a true Trappist beer, you must be a sanctioned monastery.
The eleven genuine Trappist monasteries — six in Belgium, two in
the Netherlands and one each in Austria, Italy and United States
produce about 25 labels in very small quantities.

The rest of Belgium presents a treasure trove of exotic ales.
Just like the frites, the recipe for each of these beers is unique.
With Belgium beer, mashing matters. Belgian brewers do multi-step
mashes. Again, they cook it twice each at a different temperature.
The result is better head retention and more body.

Other exotics could be introduced at some point in the brewing
process. Fresh fruit, barley sugar, herbs, wild yeasts, spices and/
or aged hops are all part of the Belgian way with beer.

The effect of this huge range of flavors has sent beer geeks off
into the wide world of wine speak in an attempt to describe the
sheer complexity of Belgium beers.

Take the humble beginnings of Saison. Saison is French for
season. In the countryside, agriculture naturally attracts a ton of
seasonal workers, called saisonniers in Belgium. They would harvest
the crops and brew ales with leftovers. Saisons were beers made to
be consumed by the workers as part of their pay. How cool is
that?

Saisons tend to have a distinct hop flavor, with bright, fruity
aromas, a crisp of tartness and dry finish. Saison Dupont is pretty
much the gold standard for Saisons. This special beer originated
before refrigeration as a beer to be brewed in winter for summer
consumption.

The style required a beer sturdy enough to age six months in the
bottle but refreshing enough to be enjoyed in warm weather. They
generally have a big, fruity bouquet and dense head. The flavors
are fruity at the start but end crisp with a light, refreshing
body.

One other highly unusual style of beer is the Lambic and Gueze.
This style of beer is made with fruit, raspberries, peaches,
cassis, apples or cherries. And there is a two step process of
fermenting this beer in addition to a wily yeast strain.

Conventional beers are fermented with carefully cultivated
strains of yeasts, right? Well, this is where Lambics take a 180.
They’re produced by spontaneous fermentation. The wort is set up in
the attics, the windows are opened and it is exposed to the wild
yeasts and bacteria native to the area. Over eighty microorganisms
have been identified in Lambic beer, so it’s got to be good for
you.

Another important feature of Lambic is that it is usually a
blend of at least two different beers; many “producers” are really
just blenders who buy finished product from other brewers, and
blend two or more together before bottling. A Gueuze may have
occupied space in several different cellars over six years or
more.

Witbier, also known as Belgian White, is a style of wheat beers
that are pale with a crisp wheat character and refreshing citrus
notes from the orange peel and coriander. A great summer quaffer
that’s perfect with creamy cheeses and shellfish. Highly recommend
Hoegaarden or the Blanche de Chambly.

Where can you taste all these exotic beers? Why at the Belgian
Beer Fest in Seattle! But don’t hesitate, it sells out quickly.

More than 50 wineries will bring the Walla Walla Valley tasting
experience to downtown Seattle on Monday, February 8, 2016. This is
a great opportunity to sample Walla Walla wines and talk to the
winemakers. It’s like a mini Taste Washington! Light appetizers
will be served.

Book reports are a way to show how well you understand what you
read and what you thought about it. So, think of this as my wine
and beer report to show how well I appreciated and think about some
of my favorite feasts, fine wines and great brews. But most of all,
it’s sharing food and drink with family and friends that makes it
taste so delicious.

This year’s Bremerton Beer Fest featured brews made with fruit
or randalled – perfect for the sweltering heat of the day.
Pyramid’s Apridunkel was my absolute favorite. This stronger and
darker version of their gold medal winning Apricot Ale was made
with 2-row, caramel 40, chocolate malts and flaked wheat and only
enough Cascade hops to balance the sweetness of the apricots.
Really, really well made.

Innovations in the craft beer industry have brought it back to
where it started – fermented, aged and shipped in barrels. The
modern day trend ages beer in barrels in order to produce a richer
more complex product. Bourbon, rye, tequila, brandy, gin and even
wine barrels are used. My favorites are bourbon barrel
imperial stouts.

Take for instance Deschutes the Abyss 2015. It’s aged in
Bourbon, Pinot Noir, and new oak barrels before the final blend.
Flavors of cherry, chocolate, and licorice make this a perfect
match for hearty stew. Also tasted this year, the 2008 and 2013.
The Abyss is very good with a little bottle age to it also.

The Shelbourne Inn in Seaview, Washington held its
6th Annual Wild Mushroom and Pike Brewing Dinner in the
fall. Every year, I get dragged down there by this fanatic mushroom
lover. And every year the dishes and matches continue to amaze
us.

This year’s stunning dish was the Paleo Lobster Mushroom
“Lasagna” with arugula salad and a red pepper gastrique. It was
paired with the Pike Pale Ale. This classic full bodied
ale has nutty malt and herbaceous flavors. This amber colored ale,
known as bitter in England, was so named because it’s pale compared
to porters. It was a surprising match with the stunning lobster
mushrooms, arugula and red pepper flavors.

But enough about beer, let’s talk about wine, shall we?

The second memorable match of 2015 was a Geoduck Ceviche with
diced shallots, jimaca and avocado. The geoduck was fresh from the
northwest waters, sweet and minerally. It was paired with a Vinho
Verde (translation: green wine, meaning it’s young). This wine is
from a cool, rainy, northwest in the biggest DOC in Portugal. Vinho
Verde is known for its mineral flavors, crispness and aromatics.
Made from the delicately fragrant Alvarinho grape, it was and
always is a perfect match with shellfish.

Fulfilling my dreams of spectacular Bordeaux were a couple of
bottles of Chateau Clerc Milon. Established in 1789, when it was
sold as a national asset during the Revolution. The Clerc family
bought it and did such a wonderful job, it made the cut in the 1855
classification as one of eighteen fifth growths. Located in the
northern part of Paulliac, vineyards are sandwiched between two
first growths – Lafite Rothschild and Mouton Rothschild.

In 1970, Philippe Rothschild thought the neglected buildings and
40 acres looked pretty fetching. He bought it, added vineyards that
were originally part of the estate and restored it to its former
glory. Today. the 101 acres of vineyards are planted to 50%
Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot
and 1% Carmenère.

It’s with great pleasure, this report pronounces the 1999 and
the 1989 Clerc Milon perfect. The 1989 is a blend of 65 Cabernet,
25 Merlot and 10 Cabernet Franc. The vintage was exceptional in
Bordeaux. This bottle was glorious with wonderful spice, cedar
aromas and silky flavors of minerality, cocoa and tobacco and a
finish of great length. Everything I would ask for in a wine of its
maturity

The 1999 Clerc Milon, a blend of 55 Cabernet, 27 Merlot and 18
Cabernet Franc, was a big, concentrated wine in its youth. Highly
rated but not quite the great vintage as the ’89, its anticipated
maturity was right around the corner – 2016. It’s a beautiful wine.
The color was amazing for a sixteen year old, still very dark with
no sign of fading. The fragrant nose and velvet texture were the
highlights of this wine.

Just the memory of these wines makes me smile. I hope that 2016
brings you many warm memories that have you smiling too. May the
New Year bring you Peace and Happiness.